US sanctions 6 Pak nationals, 5 firms for helping Russian plot

By Sanjeev Sharma

New Delhi/Washington, April 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) The US Treasury Department has designated six Pakistani nationals and their five companies based in Karachi and Lahore who are owners and employees of Second Eye Solution (SES), an IT firm, for helping Russian entities to evade from sanctions by using fraudulent documents.

The main sanctioned entity as part of the links with Russian networks who interfered in the 2016 US presidential elections is Second Eye Solution (a.k.a. FORWARDERZ) based in Karachi, Pakistan linked to Internet Research Agency LLC, a Russian troll network. secondeyesolution.su; alt. Website secondeyesolution.ch; alt. Website secondeyesolution.ru; alt. Website secondeyesolution.com; alt. Website forwarderz.com; alt. Website secondeyehost.com

The other sanctioned entities are :

*The Oxytech, Karachi, linked to Mohsin Raza, Mujtaba Ali, who have also been sanctioned and are the owners of these entities. Website theoxytech.com; Email Address support@theoxytech.com

*MK Softtech, Karachi, with its address at 631-C, 6th Floor, Mashriq Center, Stadium Road, Karachi, is linked to Mohsin Raza and Mujtaba Ali. Website mksofttech.com, Email Address info@mksofttech.com

The other sanctioned entities include

*Like Wise, Shop No 5, Jamshed Quarter, Karachi, Pakistan; Phone Number 923452179668; Registration Number 4220198261523 linked to Mohsin Raza and Mujtaba Ali, as per the US Treasury.

*Fresh Air Farm House, Karachi, Pakistan; Phone Number 923453272659; alt. Phone Number 923209299030 linked to Mohsin Raza and Mujtaba Ali.

Apart from the entities, the Pakistani owners and employees based in Karachi and Lahore of Second Eye Solution and these outfits who have been added to the sanctions list are:

*RAZA, Mohsin (a.k.a. AMIRI, Mohsin Raza), Karachi, Pakistan; DOB 25 May 1986; nationality Pakistan; Email Address alimohsin228@gmail.com; alt. Email Address mohsinrazaamiri@gmail.com; alt. Email Address alimohsin228@yahoo.com; alt. Email Address amestypezx@yahoo.com; alt. Email Address mohsin@forwarderz.com; alt. Email Address great_guy1102002@yahoo.com; Gender Male; National ID No. 4220198261523

*RAZA, Mujtaba Ali (a.k.a. LILANI, Mujtaba Ali; a.k.a. RAZA, Mujtaba), Karachi, Pakistan; DOB 21 Oct 1987; nationality Pakistan; Email Address threatcc@gmail.com; alt. Email Address mujtaba@forwarderz.com; Gender Male; National ID No. 4220104113771

*RAZA, Syed Ali (a.k.a. RAZA ZAIDI, Syed Ali), Karachi, Pakistan; DOB 15 Oct 1992; nationality Pakistan; Email Address syedaliraza940@gmail.com; alt. Email Address raza.zaidi92@yahoo.com; alt. Email Address kool_boy92@hotmail.com; alt. Email Address s.alirz92@gmail.com; Gender Male; National ID No. 4220157603253

*HAYAT, Muhammad Khizar (a.k.a. AL KARBALAI, Muhammad Khizar; a.k.a. HAYAT JAFFRI, Muhammad Khizar; a.k.a. HAYAT, Mohammad Khizar), Karachi, Pakistan; DOB 14 Jul 1994; POB Karachi, Pakistan; nationality Pakistan; Email Address khizarh11@yahoo.com; alt. Email Address khizarhayat.jaffri@yahoo.com; alt. Email Address muhammadkhizar.hayatjaffri@yahoo.com; alt. Email Address mygreentree59@yahoo.com; alt. Email Address khizar14hayat@gmail.com; alt. Email Address muhammadkhizarhayatjaffri@yahoo.com; Gender Male; Passport EB617700 (Pakistan); National ID No. 4210191597005

*HASNAIN, Syed Johar, Karachi, Pakistan; DOB 30 Dec 1987; nationality Pakistan; Gender Male; National ID No. 4220106151401

*AHMED, Shahzad (a.k.a. AMIN, Shahzad), Lahore, Pakistan; DOB 14 Dec 1987; nationality Pakistan; Email Address shy4angels@gmail.com; alt. Email Address shahzadsmb@gmail.com; Gender Male; National ID No. 3420204688179

The US Treasury has also targeted Yevgeny Prigozhin's network in Africa as part of the sanctions announced against the Russian government and entities.

Prigozhin is the Russian financier of the Internet Research Agency (IRA), the Russian troll entity that the Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated in 2018 for interfering in the 2016 presidential election.

According to the Treasury, SES is an organization that specializes in creating and selling fraudulent identities and has assisted the IRA in concealing its identity to evade sanctions.

Since at least 2012, SES engaged in a scheme to provide digital photographs of fake documents including passports, driver's licenses, bank statements, utility bills, and national identity documents.

SES markets these fake documents for use to verify online accounts including money service business accounts and social media website accounts.

In 2017, the IRA purchased 15 fraudulent US driver licenses images from SES. The purchased licenses were used as supporting documents for online social media accounts opened by the IRA, as per the sanctions documents.

The fraudulent documents produced by SES are likely used at many online services to evade sanctions and anti-money laundering (AML) screening protocols beyond what OFAC has been able to identify.

SES advertises that their fraudulent documents may be used on social media, freelancing job postings, and commerce platforms.

As part of Thursday's listing of SES on OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), OFAC is also identifying digital currency addresses used by SES to fulfil customer orders in order to help assist financial institutions, and their third-party identity verification services, in identifying customers on their platforms who have purchased fraudulent identity documents.

Known SES digital currency addresses have received over $2.5 million in digital currencies over more than 26,900 transactions from 2013 to March 2021.

SES was designated for acting on behalf of the IRA. Mohsin Raza, Mujtaba Raza, Seyed Hasnain, Muhammad Hayat, Syed Raza, and Shahzad Ahmed were designated for acting for or on behalf of SES. Fresh Air Farm House, Like Wise, and MK Softtech were designated for being owned or controlled by Mohsin Raza and Mujtaba Raza.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)

Source: IANS